Waters,+Lisa

Introduction

 * //Name://** Lisa Waters.


 * //Where I live://** San Diego, Ca.


 * //Background://** I am a San Diego native. I recently finished my Instructional Technology Certification and decided to pursue my Masters in Educational Technology.


 * //Teaching Experience://** I have a variety of teaching experiences. I originally thought that I wanted to become a High School English teacher, so I pursued a degree in English and began the credentialing program. I was a substitute teacher for grades K-12 for about a year and I spent another year and a half working at a Charter School teaching English through Independent Study. I realized that teaching was not where my heart was at that stage of my life so I eventually left teaching. After pursuing some other career options I finally went to work as a Corporate Trainer for a local Credit Union. I have about two and a half years of experience creating and facilitating both technical and soft skills training classes.

1. Cranium 2. Rock Band 3. Shanghai
 * //My 3 Favorite Games://**

My Assignments
Learning Motivation and Fun Analysis: @http://docs.google.com/View?id=dm24rss_27djf4rrzh Edtec 670 Lisa Waters October 5, 2009

There are a variety of factors that make learning fun and engaging for the participants, and unfortunately not all topics that we must learn in life can be presented in the perfectly fun and engaging package. But the more we research what people consider fun the more we are able to take potentially dull and boring topics and liven them up so that participants are more likely to become engaged in the materials and retain what is learned.
 * LMF Analysis**


 * 1) Most people consider interaction to be the key to having fun**. Of the 24 videos watched, 14 specifically mentioned interaction being key to reinforcing the materials and making it engaging and fun. One individual whose name I believe is Utpal, went on a field trip to learn more about electrical engineering. He noted that being able to interact, observe, and speak with electrical engineer professionals made the learning experience fun. They were able to see first hand how the materials they were learning in the classroom are being applied and utilized in the real world. Casey also mentioned that interaction was key to making her learning wake surfing experience more engaging and fun. She noted that both the teacher and the other participants were very positive and supportive and provided tips so that the next attempt could be more successful. Krista mentioned that in her learning experience with the Marines that interaction was also a positive re-enforcer because she was able to learn how to shoot with the assistance of her husband teaching her. Minh Tam mentioned that in her learning experience she interacted with her team to complete an activity that they could use with kids in a teaching setting. The interaction between learners and learners and also the interaction between learners and instructor make the learning experience more engaging and meaningful. When you are able to interact with others it allows the sharing of thoughts and ideas, but also provides support and positive reinforcement.


 * 2) Hands on practice is key to engaging in a fun learning experience.** Almost all of the 24 videos watched either noted or implied that hands on practice was key to making their learning experience notably better than all of the rest. Aurora mentioned that in her ballroom dance class she would receive a demonstration, and then be asked to practice it. She noted that being able to put what they were being taught to use immediately made it a lot more engaging and provided reinforcement to make it easier to learn. Lisa also noted that she was able to have hands on practice in her cake decorating class. This appeared to really make it easier to learn because you got to apply what you were learning right then and there, rather than just watching a demo and trying to remember the tips without any reinforcement. By being able to be an active participant the materials became more engaging. The more hands on practice that you are given the more you are able to reinforce the concepts that are being presented.


 * 3) Physical movement that allows you to actually do something makes learning both fun and engaging.** 12 out of the 24 videos noted some type of physical sport or activity as their fun learning experience (surfing, biking, dancing, kick boxing, etc.). They all noted that getting out there and being active was exciting and made the learning more enjoyable. Lana mentioned that she has had a variety of school related learning experiences to draw fun, but that none of them were very interesting. However her dance class was the most engaging learning experience because she was able to move around and challenge herself physically. Leo also mentioned that he took a gymnastics class that was very challenging. After physically pushing himself and practicing he was able to improve his skills and also challenge himself physically. The physical aspect of learning allows people to support each other and apply what they are learning to an activity that requires people to develop skills through practice and repetition. The reward of seeing progress motivates the learners to continue to push forward, and to try harder to master the sport.

After watching some of the videos I realized that what makes something fun completely depends on the topic being taught and the audience. There are also generational differences of what people consider to be fun at different ages, for instance some in their early twenties may have enjoyed learning to sky dive because they not only had the opportunity to learn how to do it, but then they were able to jump out of a plane, while someone in their fifties may have enjoyed learning a new technical skill and discovered a new program for their computer. The common trend through out the generations however is that hands on practice after being taught the materials equals fun. When designing training in the future I will try to create activities that tie in real world practice with the concepts being taught in class. I will try to incorporate games to engage the participants and reinforce the materials. Allowing participants to interact with each other, as well as with the instructor is also key to creating an engaging and fun learning environment, so adding components of interaction into a class will be something that I focus on when designing.

Board Game Writeup http://670.wikispaces.com/Vacation+For+All

eGame Writeup http://670.wikispaces.com/Wii+Fit+Nutrition

September's Blog Post http://edtec670.edublogs.org/2009/09/18/game-developers-conference-the-place-to-be/

September's 3 comments 1. http://edtec670.edublogs.org/2009/09/28/games-for-change-3/comment-page-1/#comment-614 2. http://edtec670.edublogs.org/2009/09/28/simon_egenfeldt-nielsen/comment-page-1/#comment-615 3. http://edtec670.edublogs.org/2009/09/27/the-entertainment-software-rating-board-esrb/comment-page-1/#comment-616

October's Blog Post http://edtec670.edublogs.org/2009/10/20/balderdash-means-to-run-quickly-through-alkali-saltgrass-or-does-it/

October's 3 comments 1. http://edtec670.edublogs.org/2009/10/22/gobblet/comment-page-1/#comment-750 2. http://edtec670.edublogs.org/2009/10/20/hotels/comment-page-1/#comment-751 3. http://edtec670.edublogs.org/2009/10/15/somewhere-east-of-hooterville/comment-page-1/#comment-752

November's Blog Post http://edtec670.edublogs.org/2009/11/17/i-enjoy-it-because-i-feel-like-i-am-making-a-difference/

November's 3 comments 1. http://edtec670.edublogs.org/2009/11/18/whatever-you-call-it-its-basically-online-scrabble/comment-page-1/#comment-1038 2. http://edtec670.edublogs.org/2009/11/17/grand-theft-auto-love-it-hate-it-or-play-it/comment-page-1/#comment-1041 3. http://edtec670.edublogs.org/2009/11/17/tycoon/comment-page-1/#comment-1042